Storms, Pokemon, and a Talk
by WinglessDreams
Summary: Blue returns to the Gym after training, gets fed up with lousy trainers, and somehow gets roped into finding a missing girl. A heart to heart talk, and he sees the meaning of Pokemon, and what they really mean to trainers.


**Hellos peeps:)  
Done in two days… wow… I've had this idea for quite a while and I thought that Blue can be really cute if he wanted to, so I tried to come up with this scenario in my head. I thought it was quite cute… well, that's what I think. In this story, Green in Blue and Blue is Green. Ok, I better make that clearer. Red's rival, Green in the Japanese version, in called Blue over here. Why? Simply because I grew up thinking he was called Blue and the manga in my area called him Blue, so I can't really bring myself to call him another name. Besides, Blue is an awesome cool colour for his cool nature.**

**The OC may seem a bit… Sue-ish… but the he/she has his/her own problems too, so the kid's not completely a saint. Hope you understand… hope... Well, Enjoys! **

**Storms, Pokemon, and a Talk**

**Viridian City…**

Blue looked out of the window of his small apartment, taking in the lush green forest staring straight back at him. He sat down on a brown leather armchair sitting right next to the window, propping his legs up on the window ledge. Today was but another day in Viridian City. It would be the only day he would be in city to accept challenges from aspiring trainers for a long, long time. Tomorrow, he would once again be out of city, training. Again.

He sighed heavily, pulling a Pokeball from the pouch at his waist and looked at the sleeping Rhydon in it. He tossed the small capsule up and down a few times, contemplating his schedule for the day. He would be required to be at the Gym, of course. He had been gone for almost a month. He wouldn't be surprised if there was already a long line of trainers lining up outside the Gym right then. He was almost certain that he wouldn't be leaving the Gym for the whole day. Blue sighed. What a great way to spend a rest day.

He got up, shrugging on his thick leather coat resting on the arm of the armchair. He casted a glance at the tiny apartment, knowing he wouldn't be seeing it for a long while, before leaving the room.

**Streets of Viridian City…**

"Ahhh!" A small child screamed and cowered from the Beedrill that was currently charging towards her. She closed her eyes, shielding her head with her arms, as she braced herself from the sting she was sure to get.

"Scyther! Cut!"

There was a soft shredding sound, followed by a small thump. The girl looked up fearfully, meeting the eyes of a 10-year old kid. She wailed and ran into the kid's arms, bawling from the shock of nearly being attacked by the Pokemon.

"Come on, you're fine. Stop crying," the kid scolded gently, pulling the girl away.

"But I was… I was so scared!" she sobbed.

"You should have known not to disturb that Beedrill. Pokemon only attack when provoked." The little girl was poked on the head.

"Big brother?"

"What?"

"Can you… keep your Pokemon?"

"Eh?" He looked at the rather large Scyther beside him. He chuckled sheepishly and pointed a red Pokeball at the Scyther. "Scyther, return."

The girl rubbed the remaining tears from her eyes and tried to smile. "You're really good, big brother!"

"That…"

"Why not challenge our Gym Leader?"

"Eh?" He exclaimed as the girl dragged him off to meet the young Gym Leader who had returned to Viridian City.

**Viridian Gym…**

"No! Ratata!" a young lad cried as Blue's Pigeotto knocked out his sole Pokemon. "I… lost…"

Blue sighed and patted the boy's head. "Come again some other day, kid." He turned to the last trainer in line for the day – and hopefully for a long time – and gestured for him to come into the battle arena. The lass grinned and without a second thought, sent out a Pidgey.

He suppressed a groan. What was it about trainers these days that made them incapable of understanding that they were no match for a Gym Leader? Seriously, a Pidgey? Against his own Pidgeotto? That had many times more experience and was many times stronger than a mere bird captured just a few days ago? Was she blind the whole time to not see that a Pidgey was not match for him?

"Pidgey! Tackle!"

"Ariel Ace!"

The Pidgey didn't have a chance to defend itself.

"Oh no! Pidgey!"

Blue sighed and turned away. "Sorry… come back some other day." He picked up the jacket he had discarded at the side at the start of his long string of battles and shrugged it on. The day had been pathetic. No one came close to making him use his second Pokemon, and he had breezed through the whole line with just his Pidgeotto.

"Wait! There's still one more!"

Blue turned to the entrance of the Gym, where a young girl of no more than 7 was. Behind her was a slightly older boy, roughly 10, panting and sweating.

"The Gym's closed, kids," Blue told them coolly. "You should have come in earlier."

"I wanted to!" the girl yelled indignantly. "But I got lost!"

The boy beside her groaned, sliding down the door frame in exhaustion. Blue didn't need to look a second time for confirmation.

"As I've said, the Gym's closed. Come back another day."

"But who knows when you'll come back!" she cried. "Big brother is really strong! He fought off a Beedrill that was attacking me in one attack!"

Blue raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"And he has seven- Oomph!" The boy covered her mouth from behind, hissing into her ear. She nodded nervously and he let go. Blue took the time to survey the boy. The most obvious trait was his flaming red hair, that was hanging somewhat limply from all the sweat. It stuck to the back of his neck and was plastered against the side of his face, slightly messed up. Blue supposed that it had been combed back repeatedly during the run… for the Gym. Moving on, he took a good look at the attire. The boy was dressed simply, in a grey T-shirt and jeans. On the outside was a rather long coat with a hood. A black pouch was strapped to his waist and a similar but larger black sling bag was hung around his shoulder. From his neck was a grey chain, tucked into his shirt. He didn't look much different from any other trainer, but he was curious as to what the girl had been wanting to say.

Blue sighed for what seemed like the hundred time that day. Maybe one last battle then. He took out his Pidgeotto again and released it. "Come on, kid. Let's get this over and done with."

The kid glanced at the Pokemon and frowned. "Are you sure? Your Pidgeotto seems tired."

Blue shook his head. "It's alright." How bad could it be? Even if his Pidgeotto was tired, surely-

"Onix!"

Blue winced. He hadn't counted on the kid having a rock type Pokemon. Oh well, it seems like he will have to play along. The Onix surely couldn't-

"Rock Tomb!"

Blue was so caught up in his thoughts that he reacted a second too late. His Pidgeotto was hit, critically, it would seem, and was knocked out. Blue cursed, retrieving his fallen Pokemon and drawing his second.

"Arcanine! Bite!" The Arcanine chomped down on the rocky body. The Onix let out a furious screech and dove at the enemy.

"No-"

"Flame Thrower!"

The Onix got it at point blank range, earning a critical hit. It slumped down, knocked out, on the stony arena floor. The boy's eyes widened.

"Come, throw out your next Pokemon!" Blue beckoned at the boy.

He nodded, retrieving the fallen Onix and pulling out another Pokeball. Blue frowned. He had only noticed it now, but it seemed that every Pokeball he owned as a normal, standard Pokeball. Not an Ultra ball, or even a variation from Kurt. Was that saying something about his Pokemon?

"Espeon!"

He nodded in approval. Red's Espeon had proved to be quite a challenge to himself too. Wait, why was he comparing this kid to Red?

"Psychic!"

"Damn!" Blue cursed. "Bite!"

"Confusion Ray!" The Arcanine was stopped in its tracks at the last moment, blinking and whining from the confusion attack. Blue was about to pull out a Full Restore, but the boy was a thumb faster than him.

"Psybeam!" The Arcanine was knocked out instantly.

"Good one…" Blue felt a smile creeping up his face. Finally, a challenge! Blue took out his next Pokemon. "Rhydon!"

"Morning Sun!"

"Horn Attack!" The Rhydon charged at the Espeon. It hit straight on, sending the Psychic type Pokemon flying away.

"Psybeam!"

"Not falling for it a second time!" Blue yelled. "Horn Drill!"

The Rhydon step sided the ray and rammed once again into the Espeon. The Espeon had moved to escape, but it was a second too late and was sent flying towards its trainer.

"Ah…" the boy caught the flying Espeon in his arms and cradled him to his chest. "…Good work, Espeon."

"And your next?" Blue looked at the boy.

The boy chuckled. "I have to admit… You're the first that ever made me use my fourth Pokemon. Using Scyther on your Rhydon would be pure suicide, so you leave me no choice." He drew another Pokeball. "Charizard!"

"A Charizard?" He felt shock rising in his veins. He wasn't sure if Rhydon could stand a Charizard, but it was worth a shot. "Horn Drill again!"

"Dragon Claw!"

Blue underestimated him. The Dragon Claw, which he had totally not expected from a Charizard, dealt more damage to his already weakened Rhydon than he had imagined. The Rhydon collapsed from the attack, but not before drilling the Charizrd straight in the gut.

"Urgh…"

"Rhydon's down… Golduck!" He released the blue Pokemon and prepared to battle once more.

"Flame Thrower!"

"Hydro Pump!"

The two attacks clashed and dispersed. Blue whistled. "That was good… but… Psychic!"

"Fly!" The boy yelled. The Charizard took flight, narrowly avoiding the field of attack. It then plummeted down towards the Golduck.

"Block the attack, Golduck!" Blue commanded, knowing that there was no way his Pokemon could avoid the attack with Charizard flying at that speed. The Golduck obeyed, bracing itself for the impact.

"Flame Thrower again!"

"What?" The Charizard blew out a torrent of flames just as it was descending on the Golduck. Blue winced. He hadn't seen that coming.

"And now…" Both trainers were panting. Blue pulled out his second last Pokemon. Things didn't turn out the way he imagined it would. He had underestimated the boy, thinking him to be the same level as the mindless trainers he had dealt with the past few hours, but in actuality the boy and his Pokemon was more skilled than he had anticipated him to be. He finally understood the mystery of his normal Pokeballs. There was no need for him to use those customized ones. Not when they were captured at a low level. And now, the strength of his Pokemon revealed exactly how much effort he had put into training them. The kid may look ten, but Blue was willing to bet that he had started on his first Pokemon was before that.

"Porygon 2!"

"Scyther!"

"Target the Scyther!"

""Double Team! Make it double!"

Blue smirked. "You underestimated my Porygon, kid. Once it has locked on, there's no escape! Zap Cannon!"

The Scyther took the brunt of the attack. It crouched low, shaking and trembling from the damage sustained.

"Scyther, this will be the last attack. Show them what your razors can do!" The boy pointed to the Porygon. "Silver Wind!"

Blue knew what the attack was. And he knew how fast it was too. The next moment, the Porygon 2 was knocked off its feet and was sent flying back to Blue. Blue sent the fallen Pokemon back to the Pokeball.

The Scyther dropped down. Not a second later, it returned to its Pokeball.

"I have to admit… you're good." Blue panted out.

"I could say the same for you…" the boy wiped sweat off his brows. "That was… intense."

"I still have one more Pokemon. This will decide the outcome of the match," Blue reminded him. The kid smiled.

"Scizor!"

"Charizard!"

"Fury Cutter!"

"Fly!"

"That's not going to work!"

The Charizard was plummeting down again.

"False Swipe!" The attack hit dead on. Charizard was unable to complete the attack and drew back warily.

"Charizard…" The kid placed a hand on the Pokemon. "It's alright. We've trained for this. He's the last one."

Blue narrowed his eyes. Last one?

"Now! Flame Wheel!"

"Double Team!"

"Add a Flame Thrower!"

"Not going to work! Silver Wind!"

"Flame Tail!"

The Scizor, which was busy fending off the torrents of flames, didn't catch the Charizard's tail coming from behind. It knocked the bug Pokemon away, dealing heavy damage.

"You can keep going, Scizor! False Swipe! One last time!"

"Charizard! Your final move!" The Charizard reeled back in a position Blue himself had yet to see, and then sent out a continuous torrent of fierce blue fire, flapping his wings to add wind to make it quicker and fiercer. The Scizor was caught in the midst of the fire, and let out a sharp, piercing cry.

Blue's jaws dropped. He quickly stopped the fight with a sweeping motion of his arm. The kid immediately called off the attack, motioning for the fire dragon to back away. Blue immediately came over with a Burn Heal and a Full Restore, kneeling beside the Scizor.

"Let me," the kid came over.

"Hey, I'll do it. It's my-" Blue stopped short upon seeing the familiar green glow from the boy's hands. "Could it be… that you're…?"

The boy healed the Scizor quickly and stepped away, bowing. "I apologise for the last attack. I didn't imagine that it would hurt your Scizor that badly. It was my lack of judgment that caused this."

Blue stood up. "No, it's alright." He reached into his jacket and unpinned the Viridian Earth Badge from the inner lining. He held it out to the boy. "Here, your badge."

The boy accepted the badge, allowing a small smile to split his face.

"Your Charizard is amazing. Where did you find it?" Blue questioned curiously.

"I trained it from a Charmander. It was one of my first Pokemon," he replied. With a swift flick of his wrist, he retrieved his Charizard and tucked it into his pouch. "Thank you for the battle."

"No problem. You're the first to receive that badge from me. I think the last badge was given to… Red…" Blue looked away for a second upon mentioning the name, but turned back quickly. "You're a great trainer. Give or take a few years and you'll match up easily to us, or maybe even the Elite Four. What's your name?"

"… Nor…" he looked away.

"Heh. Try for the Pokemon League in a few years. I'll be sure to watch out for you then." Blue patted the kid's head. Instantly, his expression changed.

"In a few years? Why not now?" Nor shrugged off Blue's hand and crossed his arms.

Blue furrowed his brows. "Well… No offense, but you don't look like the type to go for the Pokemon league just yet. You're scrawny and have only four Pokemon… it's better to wait and train all six of your Pokemon before you consider entering the League. …Hey, Nor?"

The kid glared at him so suddenly Blue didn't know how to react. Nor snarled, "You're just like all of them! You all always look down on me, thinking that I'm incapable of even battling a Gym Leader! Well, I proved you all wrong!" he wrenched open his coat, showing seven gleaming Kanto Gym Badges lined up neatly on the inner lining of the coat. Ah, so that was what the girl meant by saying he had seven of something. He had seven Gym Badges already. "And yet… even after I defeated you with four Pokemon… you still doubt me? Take back your stupid badge!" He tossed the badge onto the floor and rushed out.

"Big brother!" the girl, whom Blue had forgotten was there, followed the boy out.

He heard a shout, followed by the distinct release of a Pokeball, before seeing a dark shadow disappear into the orange-red evening sky. Strange… did he have a flying type Pokemon? That didn't look like a Charizard… Blue slowly bent down to pick up the Forest Badge, flipping it over and over in his hand.

"…What did I do wrong?"

**That night, Blue's Apartment…**

Blue collapsed onto his armchair, worn out from the battles. He slowly took out the six Pokemon he had taken to battle that day – Scizor, Pidgeotto, Arcanine, Rhydon, Golduck and Porygon 2 – all healed and rested after a trip to the Pokemon Centre, and laid them down on the window ledge.

The last battle of the day replayed in his head. Pidgeotto was taken down in an instant, which wasn't a surprise because he had been using his bird Pokemon the whole day, and Pidgeotto was bound to be worn out from the continuous battle already. But the Rock Tomb had taken him completely off surprise, partly because he was lost in thought, but also because right from the start, he had underestimated Nor. He was at fault, Blue supposed, because he didn't take into consideration what a real, hard-core trainer would want: a real, serious match. But then, he had faced a whole army of worthless trainers just minutes before, and being already tired of seeing Ratatas and Pidgeys caught just the night before, how could he expect to differentiate a hardcore trainer from another plain one?

But then again, he should have realized it after the first Pokemon: that Nor had strong Pokemon. He continuously underestimated Nor, and as a result, lost. Not that it was his job to crush every trainer but…

Which then lead him to another realization. Did he underestimate Nor too much? At the end, he had claimed that Nor had only four Pokemon. But what if Nor had more Pokemon? What if he had the full six Pokemon, just that he chose not to reveal them? - Which really didn't make sense, as his Pokemon, especially his Charizard, were all running low on health and it would be the best course of action if he had switched out to a healthy Pokemon in full health.

Another thing that bugged him was the mysterious healing power Nor had. It was the power inherited from the Viridian Forest, no doubt. He had already seen it from Yellow, and he had no hesitation in claiming that Nor was from Viridian City.

But why, then, did he not see a shred of him in all the years that he had been around? Pallet Town was but a half an hour's walk away, and he had frequently visited Viridian City with his grandfather. He had met with all the kids there – weak trainers, but Pokemon trainers, no doubt – yet he couldn't recall a red-head called Nor.

Blue let out a frustrated groan.

BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.

Blue reached into his pocket and pulled out his PokeGear. He flipped it open and held it to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Blue?"

"Grandfather?" Blue sat up. "What's wrong?"

The Professor chuckled on the other end of the line. "Heh, can't a grandfather talk to his grandson? I heard you were in Viridian, so I wanted to call and check on you."

"Aa…"

"By the way, Blue," his grandfather's tone was slightly more serious. "While you're still in Kanto… or in any place where we can contact you… could you help look out for a missing child?"

"Missing child?" Blue frowned. "Me? Why?" _'What does this have to do with me?'_

"The child is part of the Blackthorn family in Johto, and next to succeed the Gym should the current one – Clair – become unable to continue doing so. It's unlikely, but the family doesn't like one of their own disappearing like that. Especially the kid's mother…" Blue could almost feel Professor Oak shudder on the other end of the line. "Anyways, it was reported that the kid ran away to Kanto, so the police is trying to keep tabs on the Gym Leaders since it was said that the kid had a Pokemon or two up her sleeve so it may be possible that she's out challenging Gym Leaders."

"Her?"

"Yeah, it's a girl. I'll send you a photo now…"

Blue accepted the file from the Professor and opened it. He scanned the photo of the red-haired girl, sitting grimly on a window ledge. She was clothed in a formal dress that seemed too stuffy and restricting for anyone to wear, and her long hair was combed back into a tight bun at the base of her neck. He spotted a strangely familiar necklace hanging down her neck and resting below her collarbone but he couldn't place a finger on where had seen it before. At the bottom of the photo were the words: Nia Fiamatta de Blackthorn.

"Nope, haven't seen her," Blue said to the professor.

"There's a large reward for anyone who finds her, so some people with ill intentions may try to… well, you get the idea," Professor Oak said. "I knew her mother personally – Nina – and I'd hate to see her daughter go missing like this. She's been missing for quite a long time now, so please do keep an eye out for her."

Blue sighed. "I understand." His sharp eyes caught sight of a long shape flying through the Viridian sky, chased by several birds. He narrowed his eyes. "By the way, is this kid… a trainer of dragon-typed Pokemon?"

"Let's see…" there was a bit of typing on the other end. "Ah, here it is. The kid may have a Dratini on her, because there're a few photos of her having one. Why do you ask?"

Blue stood up, picking up his Pokeballs. "Because I just saw a Dragonair fly past my apartment, and it's being chased."

"Could it be… Wait, the Dragonair flies?"

"It does."

"It's highly likely that it's her! Only Dragonairs trained by the Blackthorn clan will ever have the hope of being able to fly without evolving to Dragonite first!"

"There's just one way to find out then," Blue cut off the line and ran out of his apartment.

**Viridian Forest…**

"Hah… Hah… Hah…" A red-headed boy was running across the forest weaving in and out of the mossy trees and jumping over gnarled roots.

"There! The kid's over there!"

He looked over his shoulder in panic, seeing several black figures dashing past the trees and gaining speed on him.

'I can't run anymore!' The boy pulled out a Pokeball and released the Pokemon. "Dragonair!" The blue dragon burst out of the Pokeball in a second and he hopped on without a second thought. "Fly!"

The Dragonair obeyed, soaring up into the sky. He panted, clutching his ribs – the victim of a vicious peck from a Pidgey. Team Rocket had unexpectedly caught up with him – why, he didn't know. He glanced over his shoulder to check if there were still any pursuers, and to his horror, several bird Pokemon were rising out of the forest. The boy clutched his Dragonair, whispering, "Faster!" The Dragonair let out a sound of agreement, and they sped along faster.

"Get him!"

"Dragonair, Dragon's Breathe!" the boy commanded. The Dragonair wheeled back, sending a jet of cold blast at the flock of birds. There were several muffled shouts, and several of the Team Rocket members dropped out of the sky, but there were still several that were still hot on his tail.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Peck!"

"Dodge them!" the boy yelled, holding on tight. The Dragonair swiftly spiraled through the air, charging at the Pokemon. They collided with two others, knocking them out of the sky as well, before flying right past back in the direction of the city.

"Hold it!"

"Like I would!" the boy shouted back. "Fly Pewter City, Dragonair!"

"Oh no you don't! Bubble Beam!" The boy narrowly dodged the bubbles, dipping lower to the city so that should they fall, it wouldn't be from that great a height.

"Hang in there, Dragonair!" the boy whispered. The Dragonair whined, pushing faster. He pulled out a few of his Pokemon, assessing their condition. He hadn't been to the Pokemon Centre yet, so four of them were still in poor condition. He couldn't concentrate on healing them right now. Not when they were being chased. The boy cursed, pocketing the Pokeballs again. It wouldn't do good for him to release more Pokemon now. But Team Rocket was just at his heels. If he didn't do something now, he was bound to be caught.

"Pidgeotto, Fly!"

The familiar voice rang out clearly. He looked back, seeing the Viridian Gym Leader hanging by the legs of his Pidgeotto, charging straight for what was left of Team Rocket. The boy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, you alright?"

Blue flew beside the boy, looking on concernly.

"I…"

"Nor?"

"Ah…" the boy looked down. He flew back into the direction of the forest. "Thanks for that. I troubled you… Good night."

"Wait, Nor!" Blue jumped onto the back of the Dragonair while sending his Pidgeotto back into the Pokeball. Nor jumped, not expecting the Gym Leader to do such a thing. Blue balanced on the Dragonair, walking until he was just behind the boy.

"Nor… why are you being chased?" Blue knelt down. Nor looked away. "And why can your Dragonair fly?"

"It's none of your business."

"Hey, I saved your life and that's what you do-" Blue was cut off when he felt a drop of water fall onto his cheek. Both of them looked up, and saw that they were flying right underneath a large grey storm cloud. Not a second later, rain drops started pelting down on them. In moments, they were drenched to the bone.

"To my apartment!" Blue yelled over the rain.

"What? Why?" Nor looked at him, trying to blink rain out of his eyes.

"Just do it! Over there!" Blue pointed to the apartment building just beside the edge of the forest. Immediately, they dipped lower and lower, until they were right at the roof of the building. Blue jumped off, motioning to Nor to follow. He hesitated, looking at Blue with uncertain eyes. Blue grabbed Nor's hand and pulled, and reluctantly, Nor slid down and his Dragonair returned to his Pokeball.

"Quickly!" Blue led Nor down from the roof and onto the 5th floor where his apartment was, all the while still holding tightly onto his hand. Opening the door which he had left unlock in his hurry, he led Nor into the apartment. Nor stood nervously at the doorway, dripping water all over the floors.

"S-sorry… I'm get-getting your apartment a-all wet…" Nor stuttered, looking nervously away. He hunched his shoulders and rubbed his arms, shivering.

"It's alright. I'm getting the floors all wet too," Blue managed a chuckle. He slid out of his boot, looking at Nor to do the same. Slowly, Nor stepped out of his sneakers and followed Blue into the room.

"Um…"

"Take your coat off. We'll put it in the dryer with the rest of your clothes," Blue instructed, shrugging his own coat off and throwing it onto the floor. He laid his Pokemon back on the window ledge and peered out of the window. "It looks like the rain isn't going to let up for a while. You might as well stay."

Nor slid the soaked coat off, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face. Blue busied himself by rummaging his drawers, pulling out several shirts and shorts. He tossed a set to Nor and pointed to the bathroom door. "Go get changed."

"Ah…" Nor shuffled his feet. "I…"

"If you don't want me to get angry at you for getting my apartment all wet, do it," Blue said firmly. Nor nodded, gaze still casted down, and shuffled into the bathroom.

Blue stood in silence for a while. Then, he sighed heavily and leant against the wall. "What the hell am I doing?" He pulled his shirt off, throwing the wet piece of clothing onto the pile of wet clothes discarded on the floor. "Geez, what did I get myself into… He isn't even the one in the picture…"

The bathroom door creaked open and Blue turned his attention to the red-head peeking out of the door.

"The clothes okay?"

"Um…" Nor hesitantly stepped out of the bathroom. The clothes hung a little loose on his, showing how thin Nor really was. Blue frowned slightly. Those were his old clothes too. Blue took a clean and fluffy towel out of his cupboard and handed it to him. Nor took it, looking at Blue. Blue shrugged and went into the bathroom to change and put the soaked clothes into the dryer.

What was he doing? Not only did he bring a complete stranger whom he had – allegedly – insulted just hours ago, he was also lending him his _clothes_. Blue quirked his lips as he tugged a dry shirt on. Surely exhaustion wasn't clouding his judgment…

Blue stepped out of the bathroom, searching for Nor. He caught sight of the boy, standing back facing him, looking down at something. Curious, he padded softly across the room until he was right behind the boy, and looked down.

His breathe was caught somewhere in his chest. Nor was holding onto something he was sure he had seen before, wiping it with the towel delicately.

"Nia… Fiamatta de Blackthorn?"

Nor froze.

"Are you… Nia Fiamatta de Blackthorn… the girl that ran away from Blackthorn?" Blue grabbed onto his shoulder and spun him around. Nor's fearful eyes met his.

"What… are you talking about…?"

Blue grabbed the necklace from him and tugged it to his eye level. Flipping his PokeGear out, he compared it to the photo Professor Oak had sent him. There was no doubt that it matched the one in the photo exactly.

"You… really are…" Blue looked at the tousled red hair – a far cry from the tight bun in the photo. "But how? You had healing powers…"

Nor slapped his hand away, backing off.

"If you really are a girl, why are you dressing up as a guy, and holding a guy's name?" Blue demanded. "You have your family worrying! It's not safe for you to be wandering around like that – you saw what Team Rocket wanted just now!" Nor shook her head frantically. Blue grabbed her shoulders. "Do you think it's right for you to leave your family like that? Just for the sake of a couple of badges?"

"You don't know anything! Just like then – and right now! What's with you? You try putting yourself in my-" she stopped short, clutching her ribs painfully with a grimace. She dropped to her knees, tears leaking onto the already wet floor.

Blue held her up, prying her hands away and pulling the shirt up. There was a dark bruise forming on her left rib, and it was already swelling magnificently. Blue didn't think twice before scooping her up into his arms bridal style and carrying her over to his bed.

"Hey-" her protests were laced with pain.

"Quiet down. I'll get a Clefairy…" Blue went over to the PC standing at a corner of his room. With a few quick taps on the keyboard, a Pokeball dropped out and Blue released the healing Pokemon.

"There's no need…" The Clefairy had already went over, holding a glowing hand over Nor's ribs. Nor let out a cry of pain, biting her lips. Blue watched on from a distance until the Clefairy retreated, signaling to Blue that the healing was done. With a nod, he retrieved the Pokemon and set it on top of the PC.

"How are you feeling?" Blue walked over.

Nor looked away very deliberately.

Blue sighed and sat down beside the bed, back facing Nor. "It's not like I'm going to drag you back forcefully to your parents right now, you know."

"But you will." Nor turned, so that she was also facing away from him.

"Should I call you Nia-"

"No!"

"Nor, then." Blue glanced at her. "You want your badge?"

"…"

"Why didn't you use your Dragonair in the battle?"

"…"

"You have other Pokemon too, right?" He held out the seven Pokeballs. In it were the four he had already shown in the Gym fight, along with the Dragonair, a Dragonite, and a Salamence.

"…"

"Are you going to let me monologue all the way?"

"…"

BOOM! Blue shielded his eyes from the flash of light from a bolt of lightning.

And then he felt a pair of hands clutching the back of his shirt.

Blue turned to see Nor gripping onto him, trembling.

Sighing, he sat on the bed and held her close as rumble after rumble of thunder roared. He patted her head as she buried her head into his shirt, trying to mask the sound of thunder with her cries.

"Sh… It'll be over soon," Blue mumbled awkwardly. Nor tackled him onto the bed, hugging him as she cried.

Blue didn't know how long he laid there, patting Nor's head as he listened to the storm raging outside. When he was next aware of his surroundings, Nor was sitting up on the bed, rubbing her swollen red eyes. Blue propped himself up on his elbows. "You alright now?" Nor bit her lip and nodded.

"Thank you… That's twice now…" Nor whispered.

"Can you talk to me now?"

Nor hesitated, then nodded.

"Why did you run away?"

"I didn't like it in Blackthorn."

"Why?"

"… Sorry… It's complicated…"

Blue sighed and sat up properly, pulling her close. "Then… tell me about you family. How did you get healing powers?"

Nor fumbled with the edge of her shirt. "My mother was from Viridian City. She and my father met… many years ago. They had a child first, but then he went missing after a while, or so they said. So they had me."

"You had a sibling?"

"Mm… I don't know who he is… I only saw him once or twice…" Nor sighed, continuing, "My mother wanted more than just a simple life in Viridian. The Blackthorns were a very rich and powerful family in Johto, so a few months after I was born, my mother wanted to move to Blackthorn – where my father was born. Things started going downhill from there. My father had a very strong reason not to go back to Blackthorn, and even escaped to Kanto to avoid being there. But my mother demanded it… so he reluctantly agreed. My father… only wanted to train his dragons. He didn't like being cooped up in the Blackthorn house, under the eyes of the Elders. After two years, he couldn't stand it anymore. He left Blackthorn for good. And he left me and my mother there."

"But… your mother was…"

"A Viridian woman. I know."

"How did she manage to convince them to let you stay?"

Nor let out a hollow laugh. "She blackmailed them. We stayed there long enough to know the secrets of training dragons by heart, and my mother claimed that if they dared kick us out, she would spread these secrets to the world. They were very protective of their secrets, so they reluctantly allowed her to stay."

"And then?"

"She got more ambitious. She wanted more power. So she made an agreement. We would be forever loyal to that family should they provide us with whatever we wanted. My mother wanted riches, so they gave her that. She wanted power, so they gave her special authority to her."

Blue looked down solemnly. "And you?"

Nor looked at him. "I knew about my abilities from the start. I loved Pokemon since I first saw them. I liked the way I could relate to them. I liked being with them. The only thing I asked from the people of Blackthorn was that they taught me the basics of training Pokemon. And they did. That's how I got my Dratini – I caught it under the guidance of Claire, my cousin. We were close, and she often gave me pointers and battled with me. My mother didn't like that much.

"And then my brother came back. His return to Blackthorn was well received. He was strong – unbelievably so. Despite him being my mother's son, they saw him differently. Maybe it was because they knew he hadn't grown up under my mother's influence. Even father came back… to see him…" Nor's tone grew lower at that part. Blue patted her shoulder, and she bravely continued on, "My mother forbade me from seeing him. I could only hear of his battles in passing from the servants – who were instructed to not tell me anything about my brother. But they liked seeing me suffer, so they let out snippets from time to time to let me get my hopes up.

"That was when my mother forbade me from going near Pokemon ever again."

"What?" Blue's mouth dropped.

Nor smiled sadly. "Impossible to believe… huh? She thought that since her son, her first born and my father's precious child, was such a great trainer and beyond her reach, she wanted to at least keep _me_, the daughter she was trying to raise to be as prim and proper as possible. Pokemon stole her father and her son from her. She didn't want me leaving. I was forbidden to even look at them, and she released my Dratini into the wild.

"This necklace…" Nor picked at the grey chain hanging from her neck. "My brother gave it to me on the day he left. I had snuck out from my room at night to look for my Dratini. It had found its way into the Dragon's Den. That's where I saw him for the first time. He was leaving, just as my Dratini was coming to me, and stopped in front of me.

"His eyes were of pity. I knew why. He took off this necklace from himself and gave it to me. That was the last I ever saw of him."

Blue narrowed his eyes.

"My mother found out about my nightly outings. That's when she grew violent. I imagine that she was thinking… to stop me from leaving her by using any means necessary. But I was in love with Pokemon, just like my father, my brother were… My mother, who never had a Pokemon for her whole life, couldn't possibly know the precious bond that a trainer forges with his Pokemon. She couldn't possible know the feeling of emptiness when you weren't able to be with your Pokemon." Nor held her necklace close.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away, after capturing several dragons from the Dragon's Den. I had only a few standard Pokeballs, so I couldn't catch many. I took my Dratini, along with a few others… the low leveled ones…" Nor looked at her black bag. "And then I ran from Johto. I knew my mother would be raising a fit once she found out, so I left once everyone was asleep. It didn't really go smoothly…" Nor chuckled. "Claire found out. She was at the Dragon's Den that day, and she caught me sneaking out."

"Claire? What did she do?"

"She was surprisingly understanding… She gave me some cash, and a few HMs and TMs. She also gave me her Dragonite, saying that I should use it to find her if I was in any trouble… She cut my hair and dressed me up as a boy to avoid people from recognizing me right away. I taught Fly to Salamence, and then we were off. She warned me to not stay in Johto, so I flew to Kanto. That's where my brother was last said to be at, so I wanted to see if I could find him. After wandering for a day or two, I found out about the Pokemon League."

"So that's why… the badges…"

Nor nodded. "Unconditionally entering the finals… it was an obscure rule, but it was there. Going through the preliminaries were too risky. If I entered the finals right away, I could have won it in one fight and… and…" she looked down. "Perhaps my mother would finally acknowledge that, like my father and brother, I could not live without Pokemon either."

Blue sighed. Nor leant heavily against him, and Blue wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you going to send me back?"

"I really should."

Nor cringed.

"But I won't."

"Huh?" she looked at him quizzically.

Blue poked her on the head. "You've got a Pokemon League to compete in, right? It wouldn't do good for you to miss out on your training."

Nor rubbed her head, pouting slightly.

Blue got up and went to his cupboard, where he produced a fresh Earth Badge. He dropped it into Nor's hands, ruffling her hair. "There. You won, fair and square. I wasn't at my best, but you did win, and you deserve this badge. Mind you, I was a finalist in the previous Pokemon League. You're going to train much more if you even want to get to the finals. But… I must admit that you have the potential…"

"Really…?"

Blue nodded. Nor beamed ecstatically at him and gave him a hug.

"But you will go back, eventually right?"

Nor nodded. "I will go back to my mother. But first, this is something I need to do."

Blue let a small smile touch his lips.

A soft beam of sunlight shone from the window, and both of them looked out to see a bright morning sun rising beyond the horizon of the Viridian Forest.

Nor closed her eyes and savoured the sunlight. Like how the storm had cleared and a sun was rising, she felt as if an inner turmoil had been settled and a strong determination was rising within her.

"We best be off then."

Nor nodded, getting up.

There were things to be done.

**Gah, that ended a bit too soon. I wanted this to be a 10k one-shot but it barely hit 7k… sobs… Sorry, the battle scenes were a bit rushed. I seriously had no idea how to illustrate an epic battle. Scrap that. I didn't even know what an epic Pokemon battle would be like. It's my first Pokemon Fic… and my first one shot… so be nice… :)**

**I know that Dragonairs aren't supposed to fly. Yes, Dragonites fly. Yes, Salamence is from Johto. Or was it Sinnoh? Nah, it's Johto. But hey, since Lance's Dragonairs seem to be able to fly (At least in the manga, they do), why can't hers? I figured a flying Dragonair is so much cooler than a Dragonite. If there are any inconsistencies, please do drop a note and I'll do my best to clear up the mess...**

**I mixed some elements of the game and the manga together. In the game, Blue was the last one to battle and wasn't at the Gym often, so I tried to use that as a sort of idea. By the way, if you've played the DS version of Silver or Gold, I think you can relate that Blue's Gym is damn cool! **

**Sorry for not updating my other two fics. It's been a busy year. The latest chapters I've been working on for ages will be up soon… depending on whether the internet is up or not… Gah…**

**For your own reference, here's a list of Blue's Pokemon used: **Pidgeotto, Rhydon, Scizor, Porygon 2, Golduck, Arcanine (Not in order of appearance)


End file.
